This year’s Han Kuang military exercises have been cut short as troops were mobilized to assist in disaster relief operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
Multiple drills scheduled from noon yesterday to today — when the five-day exercises were originally scheduled to conclude — were canceled, with additional tabletop war games to be conducted instead, the ministry said.
Troops previously assigned to participate in the drills were reassigned to assist local governments in disaster relief to ensure that people and their property remain safe, it said, adding that the military had 28,856 personnel, and 3,600 vehicles of 37 different types on standby for possible rescue missions.
Photo: Chen Kuan-bei, Taipei Times
The safety of military personnel is a top priority when carrying out rescue missions, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said.
All military units should record their rescue actions and provide the footage to commanding officers at an appropriate time, which allows the public to know that the military stands with the people at all times and will help them defend the safety of their homes, Koo said.
The annual Han Kuang exercises, which have been Taiwan’s top war games since 1984, consist of live-fire drills and computerized war games. They test Taiwan’s combat readiness in the face of a possible Chinese invasion.
Additional reporting by Huang Ching-hsuan
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